On a cool Friday evening on the California coast, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted from Vandenberg carrying 27 Starlink satellites, the first such launch in eleven days. It is a small moment in a long arc, the kind that marks how an enterprise quietly changes its rhythm. The flights that once arrived every few days are thinning, as the company's attention turns toward Starship, a larger vehicle built to carry the next generation of satellites. The old workhorse is not vanishing overnight, but its final chapter is coming into view.
SpaceX Launches 27 Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg as Falcon 9 Cadence Slows Ahead of Starship
Mark
Twenty-seven satellites, a clean landing. Why is this launch worth noticing?
Mimi
Mostly because of the gap. It was the first Starlink launch in 11 days, and the one before it came after more than three weeks. At the peak they flew every two to three days.
Mark
So the rocket is slowing down?
Mimi
The Falcon 9 program is. SpaceX is shifting attention to Starship, which can carry the larger Version 3 satellites that Falcon 9 can't.
Luke
Careful, though. Starship is still in development. The reporting says operational flights are getting closer, but gives no date.
Mimi
Fair. The plan to phase out Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy almost entirely is stated as a plan, tied to Starship flying operationally.
Mark
What about Florida?
Mimi
Starlink 10-49 was Falcon 9's 100th launch of 2026, and it turned out to be the last Falcon 9 Starlink mission from Florida's Space Coast.
Luke
And the West Coast? The article says the same might soon be true there. That's a possibility, not an announcement.
Mark
And the yearly numbers?
Mimi
116 Falcon 9 flights so far, about three-quarters Starlink. The projection is just under 150 for the year, short of 2025's record 165.
Luke
That 150 is an expectation at the current rate, not a result. It depends on the cadence holding.
Il Polso
- A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg at 3:48 p.m. local time, placing 27 Starlink satellites on their way after an unusually long eleven-day gap.
- Starlink launches that once flew every two to three days have slowed sharply, leaving a visible pause in a previously relentless cadence.
- Florida's Falcon 9 Starlink flights have already ended with Starlink 10-49, and West Coast missions may follow the same path soon.
- Booster B1063 landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You, its 36th flight, while SpaceX pivots toward Starship and the Version 3 satellites it will carry.
On a cool Friday evening on the California coast, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted from Vandenberg carrying 27 Starlink satellites, the first such launch in eleven days. It is a small moment in a long arc, the kind that marks how an enterprise quietly changes its rhythm. The flights that once arrived every few days are thinning, as the company's attention turns toward Starship, a larger vehicle built to carry the next generation of satellites. The old workhorse is not vanishing overnight, but its final chapter is coming into view.
At 3:48 p.m. local time on Friday, October 23, a Falcon 9 rose from Pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base with 27 Starlink Group 15-15 satellites stacked inside its fairing. It was the first Starlink launch in eleven days, and the gap itself tells a story. Starlink missions once flew every two to three days, but that pace has faded.
The flight unfolded as expected. The first-stage booster, B1063, returned to the droneship Of Course I Still Love You about eight minutes after liftoff. It was the booster's 36th flight, and it had once helped send NASA's DART mission toward an asteroid in 2021.
The slowdown has a clear cause. SpaceX is shifting its attention to Starship, whose payload bay can carry the larger Version 3 Starlink satellites that Falcon 9 cannot. Once Starship begins operational flights, SpaceX plans to retire Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy almost entirely. Florida has already seen its last Falcon 9 Starlink launch, and West Coast missions may not be far behind.
This was the 116th Falcon 9 mission of 2026. At the current pace, the year will end with just under 150 launches, short of the 165 flown in 2025. What comes next depends on when Starship starts flying in earnest.
At 3:48 p.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 23, a Falcon 9 rose from Pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the California coast. Inside its payload fairing, stacked 27 high, were the Starlink Group 15-15 satellites. It was 6:48 p.m. EDT, and it was SpaceX's first Starlink launch in 11 days.
The flight followed the usual sequence. About 2.5 minutes in, the first-stage booster, B1063, cut its main engines and separated, and the second stage continued toward low Earth orbit. Just before the three-minute mark, the two-piece fairing was jettisoned. The booster turned around for its descent, lit its engines for the landing burn as the clock passed 8 minutes, and touched down about 20 seconds later on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You.
It was the 36th launch and landing for B1063, a booster with some history: it launched NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission in November 2021.
The upper stage finished its first burn shortly after the landing. It was set to coast for about 45 minutes before a second, final burn to reach orbit. Deployment of the 27 satellites was scheduled to begin 62 minutes after liftoff.
The launch adds to a constellation of more than 11,000 active Starlink spacecraft, but the pace of launches has changed. At their peak, Falcon 9 Starlink missions flew every two to three days. The previous one, 11 days before this flight, was itself the first Starlink mission in more than three weeks.
The reason is SpaceX's shift toward Starship, its larger, more powerful rocket, which is designed to be fully reusable. Its payload bay is built to carry the upgraded Version 3 Starlink satellites, which are too large for Falcon 9. Starship is still in development, but once it begins operational flights, a day that is getting closer, SpaceX plans to phase out Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy almost entirely.
The change is already visible in Florida. Falcon 9's 100th launch of 2026 was Starlink 10-49 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and it was later revealed to be the last Falcon 9 Starlink mission to fly from Florida's Space Coast. The same could soon be true of Starlink launches from the West Coast.
Friday's flight was the 116th Falcon 9 mission of 2026, with about three-quarters of them dedicated to Starlink. At the current rate, the rocket is expected to finish the year with just under 150 launches. That would leave 2025, with 165 launches, as the Falcon 9's busiest year ever. What to watch next is when Starship begins operational flights, since that will largely determine how many more Falcon 9 Starlink launches remain.
Citazioni salienti
Once Starship begins operational flights, SpaceX plans to phase out Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy almost entirely.— Space.com reporting on SpaceX's plans
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Space ↗
Science & Space